


Zutara Week 2018

by Xamem



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 13:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15486804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xamem/pseuds/Xamem
Summary: Just a few short little stories about our favorite pair based on the themes for the week!





	1. First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Zutara week, y'all! Here's my humble contribution to the fandom. This particular chapter is set in canon, before the Legend of Korra starts but after she's born. It's not much, but I wanted to try a different take on the "first kiss" scenario. Simple and clean. (As will be the rest of these - don't plan on writing anything beyond fluff, if that.)

It had been years. How many now she knew not, but enough for her to notice the new lines that had formed on his face and particularly deepened in his forehead. Was she imagining it, or was his beard beginning to look more like Iroh’s had, but a more shocking shade of white? She didn’t approach him on her own, suddenly shy in a way she hadn't been since a girl. The last time she had seen him was during an ill-planned meeting concerning the training of the next avatar, later revealed to be Korra.

Katara had still been grieving, and while she made it through the meeting just fine, she spent that night weeping. She left without saying goodbye and had stayed in the South to train the child. 

She didn’t realize until she saw the scar how deeply she had missed her friend. The whole gang hadn’t been together since shortly before Sokka had passed. Slowly they all fell out of contact – Toph sequestered herself somewhere in the Northern Earth Kingdom. Suki had died. Aang had died. 

Zuko was all that had been left, and they were both busy running their respective Kingdoms. Even though his daughter had taken the official title of Fire Lord, Zuko still made sure he was in on the decision making. Since he and Mai had separated officially, it was all he could do to distract himself. 

And now they were here, together, the only two surviving members of that scrappy group of kids that had somehow saved the world. Both of them older and wiser and a little more wrinkled. 

“Hello, Zuko,” she whispered. It was the anniversary of the end of the 100 Year War, and as direct participants that had been given seats of honor. Front row seats to a long and wizened speech from someone that neither of them knew or frankly cared about. Katara had skipped out on the last several, but she figured that fifty was a special anniversary. She should be there. 

“Katara,” he whispered back, much more stiffly. Everything about him was stiff – the expression on his face, the tightness of his posture. He wouldn’t even glance her way, instead choosing to look straight ahead. Was seeing her that hard? They hadn’t talked about it in a while, but Zuko usually liked these ceremonies. Or not liked them, really; he just appreciated the opportunity to prove to everyone publicly that he wasn’t his father. To remember all the changed that had taken place through the course of the war. 

“Zuko, you don’t have to act like a stranger. I know it’s been a bit, but we’re still friends, aren’t we?” 

“I suppose.” Katara grimaced and turned back to the man on stage, since Zuko wasn’t interested in talking to her. Perhaps it was just the holiday again. She would find out later. 

After the dinner she tried to chase Zuko down, but it was so hard to make get him alone. He was constantly in conversation with other officials, people who fawned over him the way they had when he was youthful, his shaggy bangs constantly obscuring his eyes. Not just for his power, but for his looks as well. He had been phased by the attention – after so many years of negativity at the hands of his nation, the positivity had left a sour taste. 

Finally she saw him alone at the bar, discreetly munching on some fire flakes. She came behind him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t seem at all surprised to see her. 

“Katara. I knew you’d find me eventually.” 

“Find you? Are you trying to hide or something?” Katara smiled in an attempt to make it a joke. Zuko didn’t smile back. She gave him a moment of silence, knowing that if given the space, he’d open up. 

“I…” He hesitated, clearly vulnerable; he stammered, tripping over each sentence as quickly as he started it. Katara took his hand, her dark brown contrasting a creamy white, both valleyed by age. She intended it to be a comforting touch, but the contact caused him to take a shallow, shaky breath. She squeezed softly, forcing him to finally look her in the eyes. 

_I’m here,_ she tried to convey. _I’m not leaving._

With great trepidation and shaky hands, he brushed her hair, now almost entirely grey, behind her ear, where his hands lingered. He leaned in and brushed her forehead with his lips as gently as he had touched her hair. It was over in an instant, this connection; but the warmth from the chaste kiss remained with her all the way to the South Pole.


	2. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko, realizing he isn't great at verbalizing his emotions, took to writing them out in letters. Because she happens to illicit a lot of these emotions, Katara is the natural recipient.

Dear Katara:

I’m sorry. I don’t know what other way to say this, but I am sorry that I kidnapped you and held you for ransom for the pirates. I’m sorry for every time I tried to kill and capture your friends. I’m sorry that I got you to trust me and then immediately betrayed that trust. And that’s why I’m writing this letter. Because I don’t know how else to get through to you. Everyone else on the team trusts me now, not that I deserve it at all. But they do. Even Toph, who I burned. Even Aang, who let me in even after I turned him away again and again and again. 

I don’t know how else to say it. And if you choose not to be my friend, I understand. If you don’t want to forgive me, I won’t blame you. But if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, that would be enough. 

Sincerely, 

Zuko 

* * *

Dear Katara: 

I never expected you to let me go with you on this mission. Especially not a mission this sensitive. Maybe the fact that Sokka and I were successful at the Boiling Rock was what changed your outlook. Whatever it was, I’m grateful that you’re giving me a chance to prove myself to you. I want to be worthy of the trust and respect that everyone else on the team has. I’m writing this on the way to meet the man who killed your father. I don’t know what your decision will be, but I know that whatever you do, justice will eventually be served. I know that whatever the outcome, it’ll be one more step in your journey to heal. 

With much gratitude, 

Zuko 

* * *

Dear Katara: 

How am I supposed to tell you how thankful I am that you forgave me? Agni, I try again and again to find the words to tell you what I’m thinking. I’m undeserving. I’m unworthy of the trust of everyone, the friendship you all have extended to me, but especially yours. You trusted me first, and I betrayed you first. But you gave me a second chance, the way Uncle did, and even that is thanks to you, Katara. I don’t know how everything will end tomorrow. But just know that I wouldn’t change any of it for what you’ve given me. 

Thankfully yours, 

Zuko 

* * *

~~Lovely~~ ~~Dearest~~ Dear Katara: 

It’s been a year now since the war ended. Can you believe it? I miss ~~you~~ all of you. This has been hard. I think I spent so long chasing so many thing – Aang, my honor, my sense of self – that I never imagined what would happen next. Or that I would ever end up running a nation. Or that I could be content. 

I was wondering if it would be possible for us to meet again. I’d love to see ~~you~~ the South Pole, see how repairs are going, meet your people on better terms than the last time I was there - I need to make a proper apology. I’d like to ~~hold you~~ talk to you, in person. As nice as these letters have been, it's nothing like ~~your beautiful voice~~ being there. I – 

Zuko crumpled up the parchment, throwing it into the wastebasket with a pile of other unfinished letters. "Why am I _so_ bad at this?" he mumbled, re-inking the quill so he could try again. Katara's letters were so eloquent and beautiful, just the way she spoke. He was afraid he would reveal too much of how he'd grown to care for her these past few months, especially since he wasn't sure if the feelings were mutual.

He paced his room, groaned some more, contemplated asking Uncle for advice. The flame on his candle had long tapered down when a letter, made out to Zuko on rough sealskin parchment, was delivered to his chamber. He opened the unexpected letter with shaky hands, afraid of what it would contain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably my favorite prompt from the week and all the art is incredible! I'm a letter writer myself and getting a handwritten note in the mail is one of the most incredible feelings. I encourage y'all to do it if you never have. Ideally this would be longer but it's a tough time in life. Thanks for reading!


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